The invention relates to power supply systems, methods and computer program products for operation thereof and, more particularly, to uninterruptible power supply (UPS) systems, methods and computer program products for operation thereof.
A typical UPS includes power conductors (e.g., bus bars) that are used to conduct relatively high currents. For example, bus bars may be used in a high-capacity UPS for AC input and output busses that connect to AC sources and loads, respectively, as well as for intermediate DC busses that connect rectifier and inverter components of the UPS.
As a preventive maintenance measure, such light-current conductors may be periodically monitored to detect for “hot spots” or other thermal characteristics that may be associated with certain failure modes. Typically, such thermal monitoring may involve a technician removing protective panels or other coverings of the UPS and measuring conductor temperature using a handheld infrared temperature detector.
There may be several shortcomings to such an approach. Removal of protective covers and similar assemblies may expose maintenance personnel to increased risk of electrical shock or other injuries. In addition, removal of such covers may disrupt normal airflow, such that the temperature readings obtained while the covers are off may not be an accurate representation of normal operating conditions. Moreover, the manual nature of the testing may make it difficult to obtain data sufficient to identify trends. The testing also may not provide consistent and meaningful data, as the UPS may be loaded at non-uniform levels over a series of measurements and may not reflect, for example, thermal characteristics at full load.
U.S. Pat. No. 7,145,322 to Solveson et al. and U.S. Pat. No. 7,253,602 to Shvach et al. describe self-powered wireless temperature sensing devices that are configured to be attached to power bus bars in circuit breakers, motor controllers and other devices that include conductors that carry current. Such devices may be used to measure conductor temperature and transmit the temperature measurements over a wireless data link.